GASR is Gary Suarez (vocals/programming), Luis Brito (programming/production), and Jim Ankrom (live keyboards). Survival of the Fittest, GASR’s debut effort is a beautifully structured album that is not only emotionally and mentally captivating but also a fresh addition to stagnating dance floor playlists everywhere.

GASR’s Survival of the Fittest is a complex and thoughtful release, visiting familiar EBM and synthpop staples ranging from Neuroticfish to Bigod 20 (leaving nothing untouched between) and taking the combinations to newer and higher grounds. Suarez’s vocals and lyrics switch between intimate and fragile to a darker, accusing tone. The keys/programming, however; are GASR’s real strength. While Suarez’s vocals require a few listens to really enjoy, the programming stands out within seconds.

While I’ll admit I was not instantly carried away by Survival of the Fittest, after a few listens I was completely engrossed. It amazes me the quality and effort this trio has managed to put into just their first release, and I can only hope they continue in this trend.

I have still the well done appetizer "Exterminate Annihilate Destroy" in my ears but now this talented German act is ready to release their first full length release on their new label Dependent. "Published by stark-n/BMG UFA/Warner Chappell", so I can read on the backside, "The definitively best Electro album of the year" or "10 out of 10 points" are the praising words of two leading German print magazines, which stab in my eyes on a sticker on the front side. So it must be any good, right? Better asked: How can I have doubts?
Well, I have now listened this album 10 to 20 times and I still don’t get what it makes that outstanding that so-called "experts" do make such ridiculous ratings. This release is a classical example of how a band fails to fulfill too big expectations. ROTERSAND are producing Electro-, Synth- or Futurepop music with some stylish acceptable ingredients. There is an unavoidable VNV-inspiring syndrome on this whole album, but only at a very few times this band is able to play in the same league. First main flaw is the turn out bad track list producing nothing else than boredom from track 1 to 5. Track 6, "By the Waters" is more calm, features a nice acoustic guitar, and the melodic content co-operates much better with the vocals and the globally mood. The already mentioned "Exterminate..." is still present here and I get slowly the idea that this album gets better and better on the latter placed tracks. Right, so it is and ROTERSAND can finally pay back some credit of the high expectations with the calm melodic last two tracks "All in All" and moreover "Angels Falling". They have definitively their best moments when they leave their rich studio/producer abilities to concentrate on the essential part, the composition and the perfect collaboration to the music itself. Against to this I like their strong studio abilities they have had proven with mastering works for bands like [:SITD:] or PAINBASTARD. But to produce sounds simply taken out of unadorned Tekkno-inspired productions and to bow them like a Tekkno-DJ on his turntables (very bad examples: "Dare to Live" or "Storm") is without claim or innovation. Also to swim hard along the VNV NATION success formula is a point which this band should avoid on future releases. It is for sure easier to be a good copy then to create something individual, but I hope that they have enough inspiration not to repeat this mistake. ROTERSAND suggest here their talent but they do not reach complete originality. There is enough space to develop, so let’s start here!

Coming in a nice styled digipack filled with some beautiful space photos we have this Czech music project which makes a musically addition to the currently available EBM or Dark Electro inspired label stuff of Monopolrecords. The music of this project is based on experimental electronics with a lot of improvisation talent. Some tracks are sounding a bit like "live" recordings and it seems to be a re-release because this stuff seems to be already 3 – 4 years old. The officially 4 tracks here (plus a hidden fifth track) are ranging between the styles Electronica, Trance and Powernoise without falling into any cliche. There are no further informations on this band given, no website or a contact address, so I am not sure if this is a regular band, or who’s standing behind it. One flaw is for sure the not very long running time of almost 38 minutes including the hidden track. Globally this project brings out some good ideas without creating something individual. Please make your contact out to Monopolrecords for more info on this.

4X4 is the first Kiss My Asterix/Section 44 release of their multi single project. The four bands gathered in this first issue are Eloquent, Empire State Human, The Thought Criminals and Tristraum. Eloquent present five tunes of their bright and light synthpop that remember me early Cosmicity, Yazoo or some of the band that joined October label on early/mid nineties. Five good tracks that will make you check their first CD released back in 2003. Now that Tristraum's Randall Erkelens joined them, I hope that they will be able to release something new soon. You should already know Empire State Human (I reviewed each of their release and I interviewed them some time ago). Of their four tracks unfortunately only one is exclusive to this release ("Dollar blue collar" is an updated version version of the track coming from "Urbanism"), because the first three are coming from their new album "Cycles". Anyway, the new tracks sound different from their previous release. More modern respect their 80's influence. Is like they kept the 80's keyboards and updated the melodies blending pop with trance. Only "Chase the ace" is sounding like nowadays Dead Or Alive. The THought Criminals' tracks are a surprise: it is like listening to Heaven 17 with a punk attitude instead of their funk influences. "Electricity" and "Automann" made me remember also of Cabaret Voltaire and Portion Control. They are really cool! Tristraum's tracks are remixed tracks of their "First embrace" single. The first version of the track is exclusive to this release, while the second one (remixed by Empire State Human) is also included into the single. "I'm under no one" is another track coming from the single but here is remixed by Blind Faith and Envy. Check this CD, it's worth it!

Being a personal project of a Toronto based musician Voytek Iwasiuk, Cysto saw the light in 2004. On his youth Voytek focused his efforts into the study of guitar and into hard rock, jazz and blues. When years after he felt that that way of creating music was kinda stagnating, he decided to convert his analog home studio into a PC based studio where he could create a kind of music more pumping, dancey and distorted. BUILT FOR YOU is the first Cysto album and offers to the electro lovers twelve sincere tracks. Cysto has got good skills about creating energetic tracks, but I think that Voytek should diversificate the vocals on the songs. The sound production is good enough to understand his style, but the sounds aren't always clear and the same kind of vocals isn't helping into the fruitiong of the song. The CD contains good tunes that would need a little more production. If you want to know how Cysto is sounding like, the first name that popped in my mind was Matrix (if you don't count the guitar riffs). Check the first five tracks on Cysto's website and write your impressions to Voytek.